10 Movies That Perfectly Blend Sci-Fi & Horror

Sci-fi movies represent humankind’s hopes and fears, and when they’re blended with horror, they come together to make fantastic films. To be considered a true blend of sci-fi and horror, a film can’t lean too far into either genre and must incorporate the key aspects of each narrative. Horror movies typically involve violence, suspense, and monsters, while sci-fi includes space travel, technological advancement, and aliens. These are not hard and fast rules for either type, but they build a framework from which filmmakers can pick and choose the right elements for the script.

The best sci-fi directors of all time understand that science fiction is a jumping-off point to help the audience grapple with elements of everyday life, and that horror serves the same function. At their best, horror and sci-fi films reveal a deeper truth about life to the audience, allowing them to work through their feelings about the unknown and uncertainty about the future. While neither a sci-fi movie nor a horror must overlap to be considered a standout of their genres, they do lend themselves to being blended because of how much their themes have in common.

10

Under The Skin (2013)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

Scarlett Johansson shows a different side of herself in Under The Skin, as her body houses an alien investigating the complexities of the human world. It’s not until late in the film that her true form is revealed, but before then she spends the majority of the film luring men to their deaths via seduction. Throughout the narrative, there is a deep sense of foreboding, both on behalf of the men and the alien woman. It doesn’t take long for the viewer to realize that she is in just as much danger as the prey she seeks.

The director, Jonathan Glazer, broke Oscar records for The Zone of Interest, his most recent film and the beginnings of his exploration of human capability into violence can be traced back to Under the Skin. As Johansson’s character is an alien, comps will automatically be made to other sci-fi films. However, the way she stalks and catches the men in the movie is more reminiscent of a classic Hollywood monster. Though the film was a box office bomb, it’s widely considered a foundational example of 21st-century sci-fi and horror.

9

The Fly (1986)

Directed by David Cronenberg

It’s hard to argue that David Cronenberg is one of, if not the greatest sci-fi/horror director of all time. His films have served as a basis for countless additions to the modern-day horror and sci-fi genres, and since The Fly is one of his earlier movies, it set the tone for how seriously he would be taken as an artist. Unfortunately, sci-fi and horror movies rarely gain as much recognition as their counterparts that are rooted in reality. Cronenberg has been able to transcend this and though his films can be difficult to watch, the payoff is always rewarding.

Jeff Goldblum’s Seth transforms into the titular monster in The Fly after his experiment with teleportation accidentally infuses the DNA of a fly into his body. Like any good Cronenberg movie, the transformation is disgusting and horrific. Additionally, like any good sci-fi, the science is believable within the story’s world, no matter how impossible it might truly be. The Fly is a remake of the 1958 film, and though the older film has some solid elements, it pales in comparison to Croneneberg’s mastery of body horror.

8

The Invisible Man (2020)

Directed by Leigh Whannell

The beauty of sci-fi is that it has evolved with the times just as much as any other genre, even though it’s rarely rooted in the present day. However, in The Invisible Man, the story preys on the audience’s fear that unbelievable technology is already upon us and that there’s no escaping the surveillance state. Technological horror has increased in popularity in recent years because of the influx of how much technology controls people’s daily lives. The Invisible Man discusses this as well as incorporating a female revenge narrative that leaves Elisabeth Moss’ Cecilia on top.

It’s one of the best sci-fi movies based on H.G. Wells’ stories because of how well it adapts and modernizes the classic tale that Wells crafted so many years ago. The protagonist, Cecilia, goes through a lot, and there are moments when her fear becomes unbearable, which makes it all the more satisfying when the tables turn. After Cecilia gets her power back, she decides she will no longer be victimized. What makes the horror so effective in the film is that it can only exist because of the technology of the invisibility suit.

7

The Thing (1982)

Directed by John Carpenter

The Thing is based on Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr. However, there are shades of Orwellian nightmares woven throughout the narrative. When it was released in 1982, the response was lukewarm at best, but in the years since, the movie has come to be known as a cult classic, as its dark themes play better with modern audiences. Kurt Russell is at his best as R.J. MacReady, as he and his team stationed in Antarctica are slowly overcome by paranoia and the fear that no one is who they say they are.

In their isolated environment, the situation quickly becomes dire and the men turn on each other. The Thing doesn’t shy away from leaving the audience with a bleak sense of futility in the face of an insurmountable opponent. It’s implied that the Thing is an alien, and the scientists on the base use their knowledge to combat it and test their own blood for signs of contamination. In this way, The Thing demonstrates the limitations of humanity’s science and technology in the face of a monster.

6

Signs (2002)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

A young Joaquin Phoenix holds his own in M. Night Shyamalan’s twisting alien nightmare Signs. Alien invasions are a frequently explored part of cinema. Despite this, Signs makes the unique choice to center the film on a single family living in rural America who are among the first to come into contact with the aliens. The concept of an outside force taking control of Earth is terrifying enough on its own. However, Signs increases the terror by utilizing a classic horror trick of not revealing what the aliens look like too early, and building suspense through a chilling soundtrack.

In terms of the larger themes and messages of Signs, not much is found underneath the surface of the narrative, but that doesn’t decrease the emotional impact or stakes. The audience cares about this family and feels strongly that they must make it out of this trial alive. It’s rare for a film to so fully capture the end of the world as if the events could easily happen to the viewer. However, by making the antagonists aliens, it builds on the sense that the characters have lost control over what they know the world to be.

5

Us (2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele has cemented himself as the preeminent voice of the horror genre in his generation, and though his second feature, Us, didn’t receive the same acclaim as his first film, Get Out, it is just as strong a story. Lupita Nyong’o is a standout in the film as the protagonist Adelaide, as she has the difficult job of playing both herself and her doppelgänger. Us is incredible because the narrative has so many layers and Peele is careful not to reveal any of the twists before the perfect time for maximum impact on the audience.

On the surface, it may seem as though Us is only a horror movie, but the insidious truth of the film is that the antagonists are failed experiments and creations of the government. As with Peele’s other films, there is a social commentary threaded throughout the narrative and a deeper message that makes the audience reflect on their own position in the world. All horror and sci-fi films attempt to impact their audience, but few are as effective as Us at leaving the viewer with a feeling they will never forget.

4

Annihilation (2018)

Directed by Alex Garland

Translating Jeff VanderMeer’s novel to screen was always going to pose an immense challenge as the book captures such a visual experience. There are many instances when the narrator finds that words can’t communicate what she’s seeing. However, Alex Garland, the production team, and the actors in Annihilation were able to fully immerse the audience in the world of the shimmer while balancing beautiful environments with horrible amalgamations of evolution gone wrong. Though it’s nature that the characters are surrounded by, there is a pervasive feeling that it is not nature the way humanity understands it.

Lena, played by Natalie Portman, is a biologist so her worldview is colored by science, even though the laws of biology quickly stop applying as she ventures deeper into the shimmer. It would be easy to write off Annihilation as pure science fiction if not for Lena’s final confrontation with the alien and the sense that the Lena who comes back from the shimmer is not the one who entered. Though it takes some time to get to the action-packed ending, by the end of the film none of the time spent with the characters feels wasted.

3

The Terminator (1984)

Directed by James Cameron

One of the best time travel movies, The Terminator could be classified first and foremost as an action movie. However, the intricacies of the story’s timeline and the genuine fear that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator strikes make it equal parts sci-fi and horror. Since its release in 1984, The Terminator has become a beloved and wildly successful franchise that has expanded upon the lore of the original story, transforming it into an explosive world. Though the Terminator isn’t the villain of every movie, he is a terrifying cyborg that will haunt the audience’s nightmares for weeks.

What makes him more than an advanced science experiment and moves the film into horror territory is his determination to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) at all costs. Additionally, he’s out to get Sarah because of the child she will have in the future, but she isn’t even pregnant yet. This sense of futility and being doomed by fate is a great way to combine time travel with a nihilistic horror theme. Watching her grow as a character throughout the movies is just as rewarding as the action.

2

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Directed by Philip Kaufman

Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is proof that a remake can usurp the original when done right. Starring Donald Sutherland in one of his best roles in a horror film, the aliens in Invasion of the Body Snatchers create a horrifying reality where friends and loved ones are replaced by identical replicas slowly taking over the world. Replication and invasion are common themes across the sci-fi/horror genre which makes sense as their intersection perfectly encapsulates the fear that an outside force has taken over and that no one can be trusted.

Jeff Goldblum also appears in the film, proving his niche in sci-fi was well-earned, particularly in body horror. It received generally positive reviews at its release but has only grown in esteem since then, and is frequently cited as an example of how to make a fantastic remake. What made the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers so much better than the original was the unsettling suspense that never lets up, and the iconic twist ending that seals the fate of the film as a classic.

1

Alien (1979)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Not to be confused with the just as excellent sequel, Aliens, the original film Alien was helmed by Ridley Scott and blended sci-fi and horror so seamlessly it’s difficult to determine where one ends and the other begins. This is because the film is so cohesive as a whole, and plays with elements of both genres, subverting them and creating them in equal measure. Sigourney Weaver made her name as Ripley, a fearless fighter aboard a spaceship invaded by a single alien that takes out almost the entire crew.

Alien is successful because it understands science fiction and the power of a narrative that all takes place within a confined space. There is no escape from the alien, and having nowhere to run breeds amazing innovation of the parts of the characters. The visual effects were also fantastic, especially considering it was 1979. Though it’s set in space and the monster in the shadows is an alien, it has all the elements of a terrifying ghost story where a jump scare is hidden in every corner.